The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

Director:

Robert Schwentke

Writers (WGA):

Bruce Joel Rubin (screenplay)
Audrey Niffenegger (novel)

Release Date:

14 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage. |

Plot Keywords:

Time Travel | Librarian | Premarital Sex | Film Clip | Widower

Cast

Michelle Nolden	...	Annette DeTamble
Alex Ferris	...	Henry at Six
Arliss Howard	...	Richard DeTamble
Eric Bana	...	Henry DeTamble
Katherine Trowell	...	Hospital Receptionist
Bart Bedford	...	Library Researcher
Esther Jun	...	Waitress
Matt Birman	...	Chicago Police #1
Craig Snoyer	...	Chicago Police #2
Rachel McAdams	...	Clare Abshire
Carly Street	...	Librarian
Romyen Tangsubutra	...	Thai Waiter
Brooklynn Proulx	...	Clare at Six and Eight
Jane McLean	...	Charisse
Ron Livingston	...	Gomez

Also Known As:

The Time Traveller's Wife (UK)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, brief disturbing images, nudity and sexuality.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44551) | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Iceland:12 | Japan:G | South Korea:12 | Mexico:B | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Sweden:7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

During the final meadow scene, after Henry disappears, Alba bends down to pick up his discarded brown loafers. This is a reference to the cover art of one edition of the book, which features a young girl (visible only from mid-leg down) standing next to a brown pair of loafers in a field.

Goofs:

Continuity: Toward the beginning of the film Henry has just come inside from a driving rain storm. He is not wearing anything on his head and yet when he is indoors his hair is dry.

Quotes:

Clare Abshire: I wouldn't change one second of our life together.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.30)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Love Will Tear Us Apart

A pleasant surprise; a thoughtfully directed, excellent movie.

Based on the trailers, I was dreading seeing this film, as it looked like a shallow dull romantic movie with a "clever" twist in the form of the time traveller. However, I was very pleased to find, within ten minutes of the film starting, that it was clear that I was wrong; it was a very complex movie, looking at various problems/blessings that the main character's condition meant. The first part of the film obviously introduced the titular character, his condition, and the love interest. This was done very cleverly, as she had known him for many years, but it was the first time he had met her. This is because it was an older version of him that travelled back to her childhood and earlier years. This broken timeline continues throughout the whole film, meaning that it could have easily been an incoherent muddle, but the director has controlled things carefully; sometimes following the traveller's timeline, so everyone around him changes age suddenly; sometimes following everyone else's timeline, so the traveller appears to suddenly age/become younger. The plot was kept on a low level; no one has to save the world in this film; it's just about a couple trying to live a normal life given the bizarre condition the husband has. The time travelling is played to various effects throughout the story; there are a few scenes of comedy, some extremely touching emotional scenes, and some genuine shocks. good few plot twists come as a surprise, at times drastically changing the tone of the movie, but never coming across as contrived. While there is little to no action to keep you entertained, the characters are certainly interesting enough to keep you in this movie, with the entire cast playing their parts perfectly; most importantly, everyone acts realistically, no over-blown dramatic reactions. The people I saw this with have read the book, and some changed were made to the plot, but based on what I was told, the film's interpretation of the plot is far better; certain events omitted did not belong in the story in my opinion, and cutting them out made the lasting impression of the film far less depressing. 9/10.